Trackway



May 5, 1931.

w. F. PALMER 1,804,272

TRACKWAY Filed July 8, 1930 2 SheetsSheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

WAYNE FPALMER BY I 6/ ATTORNEYS.

y 1931. w. F. PALMER 1,804,272

'rmcxwu I Filed July 8. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

WAYNE E PA4MR gunman.

STE FECE WAYNE F. PALMER, 01E HOLYOKE, IEASSACHUSETTS TRAGKNAY Application filed July 8, 1930. Serial No. 456,472.

This invention relates to tracl-zways, and base 19 holds a pair of channel tracks 20 genhas particular reference to trackways of aderally similar to the angular portions 16 of justable length. the main track and having curved portions One object of the invention is to provide a 2i joining them to the main channel mem- 5 trackway and a carria 'e therefor of sufbers 15. Each of the channel tracks 20 is ficiently sii iple construction so that it may provided with a tongue 22 fitting within the be adapted either to manual or to power main channel section, as bestshown in'Fig. propulsion. A further object is to provide 5, and being beveled oil as at 23 so that a a trackway which is adjustable in length so smooth incline is presented from the bottom as to permit any desired length of travel of ofthe main channel to the bottom of the chan- 60 the carriage throughoutapath having a gennet in the curved portion 21. The channel erally straight central portion and curved tracks 20 can be secured in any desired posiends. tion along the main channel by set screws The invention will now be described with or anysimilar devices. It will be seen that reference to the accompanying drawings, in the composite channel thus formed is con- 65 hi h; tinuous, but that the channel sections are Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the trackway somewhat closer together than the channel and torch guiding carriage constructed in. sections 15. accordance with my invention; Running in these channel tracks is a car- Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; riage 25 having shafts 26, four in number as Fig. 3 is a detail of a form of tracliway shown, extending toward the channels and adapted for power actuation of the carriage; being pressed outwardly by springs 27 Fig. 4: is a transverse section showing the mounted within recesses in the carriage. At trackway and carriage in the posit on 01 the channel ends of these shafts may be 25 Fi 2; mounted anti-friction rolls of the type shown Fig. 5 is a perspective view partly broken at 28 in Fig. 1 or at 29 in Fig. 7. This caraway, showing the manner of securing the riage will of course traverse the main section adjustment of the length of track; 15 and the curved and angular portions 16 Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on line 66 of and 17 or" the same track without difliculty.

3U Fig. 2; Vfhen the carriage reaches the channel tracks Fig. 7 is a top plan view oi one modified 20, however, the rolls'ride up on the bevel form of carriage; and portion 23 thereby compressing the springs Fig. 8 is-a sectional elevation sho mg a 27. The effect thenis the same as shortenturther modified form of carriage adapted ing the shaft 26 up which th r ll a for coaction with the trackway shown in mounted so that the carriage is permitted to Fig. 3. travel along the channel sections 20 which Th d vic consists of a trackway adjustare spaced together more closely than are the able in length to provide various lengths of main trackways. This will be true whatpaih, and a carriage running in thistraclrever the longitudinal adjustment of the chan- 40 way and carrying whatever device or lns rtr nel sections 20 with respect to the main trackment it is desired to convey. The trackway ways, the device affording a simple way or" is composed of a pair of main channel Inenr varying the length of travel of the carriage bers 15 having portions 16 extending at subin accordance with the size of work to be stantially right angles and joined to the operated upon. m main trackway portion by a smooth curve As thus far described, the carriage is car- 17. The angular portion 16 of each track is ried along the trackway by manual effort. secured to a base 18 serving the double pur- This is satisfactory in some cases but it is pose of holding the tracks in spaced relation sometimes desirable to have the carriage proand of anchoring them to the frame of the polled by power. A modification permitting machine as will be described later. A second this has been shown in Figs. 3 and 8. In this I channel members case the rolls at the end of the shafts 27 are indicated at and are preferably freely roiatable on the shafts. The shafts carry gears 51 in mesh with racks 52 cut into the 15 or racks 53 in the channel members 20. The shafts 96 of at least one set are splined together as at 54 so that the gears will exert equal traction on both sides of the carriage. A separate gear 55 p on one of the shafts 27 meshes with a wide gear 56 on a driven shaft 57. In using this type of construction, the channel sections 20 can be adjusted longitudinally of the tracks 15 only in mul iples of the pitch of the racks which are employed; but this is generally close enough for ordinary purposes. In this case, as in the one already described, the shafts in the carriage are moved toward each other, compressing the springs 27 as the carriage passes from the main track to the ad justable track section.

In order to relieve any end pressure which might otherwise be exerted on the gears 52, the rolls 50 are preferably made of larger diameter than the gears and strike on their sides against the edges 58 of the channel sections. The force causing compression of the springs 57 will thus be transmitted through the rollers and not through the gears. Powr may be applied to the shaft 57 by a small motor mounted upon the carriage or by means of a flexible shaft from some external source.

What I claim is:

1. A deviceolf the class described, comprising channeled tracks having opposed straight runs and angular portions, a pair of shiftabl'e channeled tracks extending angularly from the straight run of the tracks and having tongues fitting into the channels in said straight runs, said shi'l table tracks having the bottoms of their channels merging into the bottoms of the channels or the straight runs, and a carriage slidable in the channels and contraetible transversely so as to pass from the straight runs to said shift able tracks.

2. A device of the class described, comprising channeled tracks having opposed straight runs and angular portions, a pair of shift-able channeled tracks extending angularly from the straight run of the tracks and having tongues fitting into the channels in said straight runs, said shittable tracks having the bottoms 01": their channels merging into the bottoms of the channels of the straight runs, a carriage slidable in the channels and contractible transversely so as to pass from the straight runs to said shittable tracks, and means for propelling the carriage along the tracluvay.

3. A device of the class described, comprising channel tracks having opposed straight runs and angular portions, a pair of shiftable channeled tracks extending angularly from the straight run of the tracks and having tongues litting into the channels in said straight runs, said shiftable tracks having the bottoms of their channels merging into the bottoms of the channels of the straight runs, carriage slidable in the channels and contractible transversely so as to pass from the straight runs to said shiftable tracks, rac s mounted adjacent said tracks, and gears mounted on the carriage and rotatable in mesh with said racks to propel the carriage along the trackway.

at. A device of the class described comprising a pair of main opposed channeled tracks bent at one end to form angular portions joined by a curve with their s ight portions. a pair of channeled tracks slidable along the straight portions of the main racks and having angularly extending portions joined by a curve with said straight portions, said slidable tracks having tongue portions extending into the channels of the main tracks and beveled to form a n inclined plane leading from the channels of the main tracks to the channels of the slidable tracks, said main and slidable tracks being provided with racks, a carriage having rotatable and yieldable rolls received in and guided by the channels of the main tracks, gears associated with at least some of the rolls and meshing with the racks on the traclrway, said rolls and gears yielding towards each other as the carriage passes from the main track to the slidable track, and means for rotating the gears to cause travel of the carriage along the tracks.

In testimony whereof I have attired my signature.

l/VAYNE F. PALMER. 

